This lady wanders about in the the pastures that surround my house. She is a Red Angus and has been hanging around with a Longhorn Bull. She has a baby now.
Kind of pretty, in a Bovine sort of way, don't you think?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
From Janell
(This is kind of a rerun, but I like this story.)
September 14th is an important American anniversary.
Baltimore, MD
On the morning of September 3, 1814, a young lawyer from Georgetown, PA and his friend, Colonel Skinner found themselves sailing seaward towards an enemy ship which held Prisoners of War. In the lawyer’s briefcase were a number of letters he hoped to use to retain the release of one of those prisoners, Dr. William Beanes, who had been arrested and taken captive in the previous weeks. The British army intended to try and hang the doctor for treason. The trial and execution would have to wait, however, until after they had successfully invaded Baltimore by land and Ft. McHenry by sea. The letters the lawyer was bearing were from enemy Prisoners of War who had been injured in the fighting and subsequently treated by Upper Marlboro’s beloved physician. Their letters testified to the humane treatment they had received at his hands and expressed their hopes that he would be released. It took the two men until September 10th to locate the ship on which Dr. Beanes was being held and the rest of the day to negotiate his release with the British officers. It was near sunset by the time the British agreed to let Dr. Beanes go. The three men were not allowed to leave, however, because it was feared they had seen and heard too much regarding the impending attacks on Baltimore and Ft. McHenry. They were placed on the sailboat, under guard and forced to wait out the attack and watch the battle that would surely spell doom not only for Baltimore and Ft. McHenry, but endangered the new United States as well.
The bombardment began on the morning of September 13 and would continue for 25 hours. Approximately 1500 bombshells weighing 220 pounds each were lit and launched toward the city. However, some of the fuses were too short and the shells would explode in mid air long before they reached the target. In addition to the bombshells, the British fired their newest weapons; Congreve rockets, which traced arcs of red flame across the sky. The attack was halted at sunset, but began again around 1 AM on September 14.
The three friends waited anxiously, watching the flames and the explosions. A few hours later, the ships in the sea around them fell silent. Our lawyer, Colonel Skinner and Dr. Beanes waited anxiously for the sun to rise so they could determine why the firing had stopped. From their vantage point they would have a clear view of Ft. McHenry and would be able to see whose flag was flying over it.
When the sun finally broke the horizon, the three rejoiced to see that the Stars and Stripes still flew. Having lost 22 vessels, the British were retreating. It was then that our lawyer, Francis Scott Key, took up his pen and wrote:
“Oh say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
I believe it still does. Do you?
Additional info: The flag which flew over Ft. McHenry was commissioned by its commander, Major George Armistead in 1813. He wanted a flag “so big the British would have no trouble seeing it from a distance.” A local flagmaker, Mary Young Pickersgill and her 13 year old daughter Caroline made the flag using 400 yards of fabric. The finished banner measured 30 by 42 feet. Each of the 15 stars measured two feet from point to point. It cost $405.90.
(This is kind of a rerun, but I like this story.)
September 14th is an important American anniversary.
Baltimore, MD
On the morning of September 3, 1814, a young lawyer from Georgetown, PA and his friend, Colonel Skinner found themselves sailing seaward towards an enemy ship which held Prisoners of War. In the lawyer’s briefcase were a number of letters he hoped to use to retain the release of one of those prisoners, Dr. William Beanes, who had been arrested and taken captive in the previous weeks. The British army intended to try and hang the doctor for treason. The trial and execution would have to wait, however, until after they had successfully invaded Baltimore by land and Ft. McHenry by sea. The letters the lawyer was bearing were from enemy Prisoners of War who had been injured in the fighting and subsequently treated by Upper Marlboro’s beloved physician. Their letters testified to the humane treatment they had received at his hands and expressed their hopes that he would be released. It took the two men until September 10th to locate the ship on which Dr. Beanes was being held and the rest of the day to negotiate his release with the British officers. It was near sunset by the time the British agreed to let Dr. Beanes go. The three men were not allowed to leave, however, because it was feared they had seen and heard too much regarding the impending attacks on Baltimore and Ft. McHenry. They were placed on the sailboat, under guard and forced to wait out the attack and watch the battle that would surely spell doom not only for Baltimore and Ft. McHenry, but endangered the new United States as well.
The bombardment began on the morning of September 13 and would continue for 25 hours. Approximately 1500 bombshells weighing 220 pounds each were lit and launched toward the city. However, some of the fuses were too short and the shells would explode in mid air long before they reached the target. In addition to the bombshells, the British fired their newest weapons; Congreve rockets, which traced arcs of red flame across the sky. The attack was halted at sunset, but began again around 1 AM on September 14.
The three friends waited anxiously, watching the flames and the explosions. A few hours later, the ships in the sea around them fell silent. Our lawyer, Colonel Skinner and Dr. Beanes waited anxiously for the sun to rise so they could determine why the firing had stopped. From their vantage point they would have a clear view of Ft. McHenry and would be able to see whose flag was flying over it.
When the sun finally broke the horizon, the three rejoiced to see that the Stars and Stripes still flew. Having lost 22 vessels, the British were retreating. It was then that our lawyer, Francis Scott Key, took up his pen and wrote:
“Oh say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
I believe it still does. Do you?
Additional info: The flag which flew over Ft. McHenry was commissioned by its commander, Major George Armistead in 1813. He wanted a flag “so big the British would have no trouble seeing it from a distance.” A local flagmaker, Mary Young Pickersgill and her 13 year old daughter Caroline made the flag using 400 yards of fabric. The finished banner measured 30 by 42 feet. Each of the 15 stars measured two feet from point to point. It cost $405.90.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
A Poem for Sunday
From Janell
2 Chronicles 36:11 – Ezra 3:13
Way back in the day around 600 B.C.
Israel began the Babylonian Captivity
They’d been forewarned, make no mistake,
There was only so much that God would take
They’d failed to give the land a rest
Each seven years, as God said was best.
But of all the things that they’d done wrong
The lowest was breaking Number One;
They’d worshipped the gods of other nations
And that was the worst abomination.
So God finally said, “Well. Okay. Fine.
If you like their laws better than mine,
You just go on and be taken away
By the heathen Chaldeans this very day.”
It was in 597, to be exact
When Nebuchadnezzar launched his attack
‘Twas many an Israelite died by his sword
And he stole precious things from the House of the Lord.
He destroyed, by fire, the Jerusalem Wall
And heartlessly watched the great Temple fall.
So for seventy years, the story went on
While the Israelites live in Babylon.
Then Cyrus of Persia sent out a Decree,
“All of you Jews better listen to me.”
He said, “God gave me all the kingdoms of earth
And THIS job He gave me has priority First:
To rebuild Jerusalem’s Temple for Him
So get ready to go back to Jerusalem again.”
Cyrus returned the Precious things
Nebuchadnezzar had stolen in the previous reign.
So Israelite Leaders, families and priests
Set out with the greatest down to the least.
The Levites, Gibeonites and Solomon’s slaves,
Singers, Servants, and Gatekeepers set out one day;
They left the cities of Babylon
To rebuild the City of Jerusalem.
In the year five hundred and thirty five
In Jerusalem, the people finally arrived,
“The first thing we should do, so that we don’t falter,
Is re-establish the Burnt Offering Altar.”
Zerubbabel did just that and then
The twice daily offerings began again.
They collected supplies for the next two years
And masons and carpenters began to appear
At last (they’d feared, the day might never come)
The Foundation was laid, the work had begun.
It had been fifty years since Solomon’s Temple stood
They were careful to make this work extra good.
When the foundation was laid, the builders called out,
“Let’s celebrate this! Let’s sing and let’s shout!”
So the Israelites gathered all around
The Temple with cymbals and they made a joyous sound
They gave thanks to the Lord that this would not sever
“His lovingkindness upon Israel forever.”
But some of the Old Folks began to say;
“It’s not as grand as in Solomon’s Day!”
So the shouts of joy and cries of shame
From far away both sounded the same.
From Janell
2 Chronicles 36:11 – Ezra 3:13
Way back in the day around 600 B.C.
Israel began the Babylonian Captivity
They’d been forewarned, make no mistake,
There was only so much that God would take
They’d failed to give the land a rest
Each seven years, as God said was best.
But of all the things that they’d done wrong
The lowest was breaking Number One;
They’d worshipped the gods of other nations
And that was the worst abomination.
So God finally said, “Well. Okay. Fine.
If you like their laws better than mine,
You just go on and be taken away
By the heathen Chaldeans this very day.”
It was in 597, to be exact
When Nebuchadnezzar launched his attack
‘Twas many an Israelite died by his sword
And he stole precious things from the House of the Lord.
He destroyed, by fire, the Jerusalem Wall
And heartlessly watched the great Temple fall.
So for seventy years, the story went on
While the Israelites live in Babylon.
Then Cyrus of Persia sent out a Decree,
“All of you Jews better listen to me.”
He said, “God gave me all the kingdoms of earth
And THIS job He gave me has priority First:
To rebuild Jerusalem’s Temple for Him
So get ready to go back to Jerusalem again.”
Cyrus returned the Precious things
Nebuchadnezzar had stolen in the previous reign.
So Israelite Leaders, families and priests
Set out with the greatest down to the least.
The Levites, Gibeonites and Solomon’s slaves,
Singers, Servants, and Gatekeepers set out one day;
They left the cities of Babylon
To rebuild the City of Jerusalem.
In the year five hundred and thirty five
In Jerusalem, the people finally arrived,
“The first thing we should do, so that we don’t falter,
Is re-establish the Burnt Offering Altar.”
Zerubbabel did just that and then
The twice daily offerings began again.
They collected supplies for the next two years
And masons and carpenters began to appear
At last (they’d feared, the day might never come)
The Foundation was laid, the work had begun.
It had been fifty years since Solomon’s Temple stood
They were careful to make this work extra good.
When the foundation was laid, the builders called out,
“Let’s celebrate this! Let’s sing and let’s shout!”
So the Israelites gathered all around
The Temple with cymbals and they made a joyous sound
They gave thanks to the Lord that this would not sever
“His lovingkindness upon Israel forever.”
But some of the Old Folks began to say;
“It’s not as grand as in Solomon’s Day!”
So the shouts of joy and cries of shame
From far away both sounded the same.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Ruby Tuesday
(And a few observations)
This is the sign over the door at the store where I work. I think it was nice of them to make it red so that I could use it for Ruby Tuesday, don't you?
Personality Types and Belt Loading Styles
I’ve taken a few personality type tests in my day, but I’ve noticed that maybe all that diagnosing could be done if a psychoanalyst stood at my cash register and observed the manner in which people load their groceries onto my conveyer belt.
Note: None of these styles is gender specific. Instead of using the cumbersome politically correct he/she, I used he in some parts and she in others.
The Angry Tosser: This person is angry about something – maybe got into a fight with the spouse before leaving home or stressed out from work or possibly the high price of groceries. Whatever it is, she takes it out on the groceries. She drags her cart into the lane rather than pushing it from behind, positions herself between the cart and the belt and then grabs items out of the cart and literally throws them onto the belt, so that they land with an angry thud. Some of these people bend over the cart and throw things backwards over their heads, giving extra punctuation to the sound of them hitting the belt – especially the frozen things. When finished unloading the groceries onto the belt, she stomps over to the cash register (leaving the cart behind for someone else to move) and glares at the cashier. She watches the screen behind the cashier with frown lines growing deeper with every beep of the scanner. When the total is announced, she lets a little puff of disgust escape her lips and starts digging in her purse for a debit card. She rips the card through the card scanner and punches in the PIN as if stabbing the life out of a pesky rodent.
And – what a surprise – neither the Angry Tosser nor the cashier feel any better for all this venting.
The Liner-Upper: This person likes the belt to be moving constantly. They place their groceries on the belt one at a time, in single file. You can imagine what this looks like when we have single-serve yogurts on sale at 20 for $10.00.
The Stacker: This is a person who has too much time on their hands. They can be found in line behind an elderly person who takes too long to write the check or needs help with scanning their debit card. While I (the cashier) am helping the first customer figure out how to scan the debit (or EBT) card the Stacker is arranging his groceries in tall stacks, sometimes in alphabetical order on the belt. He is determined to use only half of the length of the four foot belt, so he somehow manages to get $200 worth of groceries compacted into piles three feet high. The first stack contains apples, apricots and bananas. Next, they load a pile of cheese, cookies and crackers. The Stacker doesn’t usually create a problem until he reaches the soft drink category of his groceries. He likes to stack his three 24 packs of pop or beer in order: i.e. three cubes of Pepsi followed by three cubes of Budweiser followed by three cases of bottled water. At this point, the stacks of 24-packs begin to tower over my head, and become increasingly unstable with every movement of the belt. The stacks generally come crashing down before they get to me, thank goodness, or I might have to demand hazardous duty pay when faced with The Stacker. Sometimes I wish the Stacker would take lessons from the Liner-Upper.
The Plop & Finish: This person is in too big of a hurry to bother picking up a cart or basket on their way into the store, so she has to carry everything in her arms. She approaches the grocery belt loaded down with several boxes of mac & cheese, a bag of potatoes, a few pounds of hamburger and a couple bottles of condiments. She plops this collection on the belt – and then abandons it to get “a couple things I almost forgot.” By the time she gets back with another overflowing armload of stuff, the first collection is scanned and bagged and there are usually two or three people lined up waiting….and waiting…and waiting for her to finish her shopping.
So there you have it. Which one are you?
(And a few observations)
This is the sign over the door at the store where I work. I think it was nice of them to make it red so that I could use it for Ruby Tuesday, don't you?
Personality Types and Belt Loading Styles
I’ve taken a few personality type tests in my day, but I’ve noticed that maybe all that diagnosing could be done if a psychoanalyst stood at my cash register and observed the manner in which people load their groceries onto my conveyer belt.
Note: None of these styles is gender specific. Instead of using the cumbersome politically correct he/she, I used he in some parts and she in others.
The Angry Tosser: This person is angry about something – maybe got into a fight with the spouse before leaving home or stressed out from work or possibly the high price of groceries. Whatever it is, she takes it out on the groceries. She drags her cart into the lane rather than pushing it from behind, positions herself between the cart and the belt and then grabs items out of the cart and literally throws them onto the belt, so that they land with an angry thud. Some of these people bend over the cart and throw things backwards over their heads, giving extra punctuation to the sound of them hitting the belt – especially the frozen things. When finished unloading the groceries onto the belt, she stomps over to the cash register (leaving the cart behind for someone else to move) and glares at the cashier. She watches the screen behind the cashier with frown lines growing deeper with every beep of the scanner. When the total is announced, she lets a little puff of disgust escape her lips and starts digging in her purse for a debit card. She rips the card through the card scanner and punches in the PIN as if stabbing the life out of a pesky rodent.
And – what a surprise – neither the Angry Tosser nor the cashier feel any better for all this venting.
The Liner-Upper: This person likes the belt to be moving constantly. They place their groceries on the belt one at a time, in single file. You can imagine what this looks like when we have single-serve yogurts on sale at 20 for $10.00.
The Stacker: This is a person who has too much time on their hands. They can be found in line behind an elderly person who takes too long to write the check or needs help with scanning their debit card. While I (the cashier) am helping the first customer figure out how to scan the debit (or EBT) card the Stacker is arranging his groceries in tall stacks, sometimes in alphabetical order on the belt. He is determined to use only half of the length of the four foot belt, so he somehow manages to get $200 worth of groceries compacted into piles three feet high. The first stack contains apples, apricots and bananas. Next, they load a pile of cheese, cookies and crackers. The Stacker doesn’t usually create a problem until he reaches the soft drink category of his groceries. He likes to stack his three 24 packs of pop or beer in order: i.e. three cubes of Pepsi followed by three cubes of Budweiser followed by three cases of bottled water. At this point, the stacks of 24-packs begin to tower over my head, and become increasingly unstable with every movement of the belt. The stacks generally come crashing down before they get to me, thank goodness, or I might have to demand hazardous duty pay when faced with The Stacker. Sometimes I wish the Stacker would take lessons from the Liner-Upper.
The Plop & Finish: This person is in too big of a hurry to bother picking up a cart or basket on their way into the store, so she has to carry everything in her arms. She approaches the grocery belt loaded down with several boxes of mac & cheese, a bag of potatoes, a few pounds of hamburger and a couple bottles of condiments. She plops this collection on the belt – and then abandons it to get “a couple things I almost forgot.” By the time she gets back with another overflowing armload of stuff, the first collection is scanned and bagged and there are usually two or three people lined up waiting….and waiting…and waiting for her to finish her shopping.
So there you have it. Which one are you?
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Your attention, please.
If you have sent me an email within the last seven days, I'm sorry, but I just deleted it. I don't have any explanation for it - other than that I wasn't paying attention when it said "Delete all?" , but they are absolutly gone.
I apologize.
The other thing you need to know is that I'm going to let my Facebook page be deleted. I find Facebook to be a little cumbersome, although I do appreciate the pictures. I'm probably one of the reasons it's "slow to upload".
On the other hand, I love my blog. Please come back.
If you have sent me an email within the last seven days, I'm sorry, but I just deleted it. I don't have any explanation for it - other than that I wasn't paying attention when it said "Delete all?" , but they are absolutly gone.
I apologize.
The other thing you need to know is that I'm going to let my Facebook page be deleted. I find Facebook to be a little cumbersome, although I do appreciate the pictures. I'm probably one of the reasons it's "slow to upload".
On the other hand, I love my blog. Please come back.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Janell’s Insomniac Ramblings
I can’t sleep.
I’m hungry.
The satellite does not improve the programs offered by 3 AM television.
If the current administration is to blame for the gas prices soaring to record highs in July, who gets credit for the 40 cent DROP over the past three weeks?
They tell me that we shouldn’t bother to drill for oil here at home because even if we start right now, it will take ten years to produce energy. Well, won’t we be needing it ten years from now? And who was in charge ten years ago and should have gotten started on it then? Hmmmm……?
Rick Warren’s interviews with Barak Obama and John McCain ROCKED. If all you’ve been seeing of it are the sound bites, you really missed out.
Strange pain assaulted me on Thursday. I laid down for my pre-work snooze and when I got up my left hip was stiff and hurting so badly I could barely walk. It was still stiff and aching on Friday morning, so I went to the Dr. He poked and prodded and did some range of motion tests and x-rayed it, all of which was inconclusive. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug of some kind or another and scheduled me for two weeks of physical therapy. Now here’s the really weird part: when I got up Saturday morning, I was almost completely recovered. No, I hadn’t taken the drug yet because it was specified to be taken with food and I didn’t want to take it at work because I wasn’t sure what it would do to me; “may cause drowsiness, etc.” So what the heck is up with that?
I don’t know why I haven’t blogged since last Tuesday. Either too busy or too lazy.
I have some really cool pictures to put up for this week’s Ruby Tuesday.
I think I might like to have a tazer. Do you have to have a permit for one of those?
Back in May, I planted six tomato plants. Today I harvested six tiny little tomatoes. How sad is that? I’ve got my garden in a bad location – not enough sun. I don’t think I’ll bother with it next year.
A few weeks ago, I bought a cheap little charcoal grill/smoker. Yesterday, I smoked a beef brisket and a pork loin in it. I used mesquite chips and charcoal. They cooked for about 8 hours and boy did they both turn out good.
Emily went riding with me today and she had her hair in a braid. I grabbed the camera this time and got it recorded. (I blogged about this a few posts ago.)
I might be ready to go back to bed now. I just yawned. No, wait a minute, I might just be bored with this post. And if I am, then you are too so I should just end it and put us all out of my misery.
I can’t sleep.
I’m hungry.
The satellite does not improve the programs offered by 3 AM television.
If the current administration is to blame for the gas prices soaring to record highs in July, who gets credit for the 40 cent DROP over the past three weeks?
They tell me that we shouldn’t bother to drill for oil here at home because even if we start right now, it will take ten years to produce energy. Well, won’t we be needing it ten years from now? And who was in charge ten years ago and should have gotten started on it then? Hmmmm……?
Rick Warren’s interviews with Barak Obama and John McCain ROCKED. If all you’ve been seeing of it are the sound bites, you really missed out.
Strange pain assaulted me on Thursday. I laid down for my pre-work snooze and when I got up my left hip was stiff and hurting so badly I could barely walk. It was still stiff and aching on Friday morning, so I went to the Dr. He poked and prodded and did some range of motion tests and x-rayed it, all of which was inconclusive. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug of some kind or another and scheduled me for two weeks of physical therapy. Now here’s the really weird part: when I got up Saturday morning, I was almost completely recovered. No, I hadn’t taken the drug yet because it was specified to be taken with food and I didn’t want to take it at work because I wasn’t sure what it would do to me; “may cause drowsiness, etc.” So what the heck is up with that?
I don’t know why I haven’t blogged since last Tuesday. Either too busy or too lazy.
I have some really cool pictures to put up for this week’s Ruby Tuesday.
I think I might like to have a tazer. Do you have to have a permit for one of those?
Back in May, I planted six tomato plants. Today I harvested six tiny little tomatoes. How sad is that? I’ve got my garden in a bad location – not enough sun. I don’t think I’ll bother with it next year.
A few weeks ago, I bought a cheap little charcoal grill/smoker. Yesterday, I smoked a beef brisket and a pork loin in it. I used mesquite chips and charcoal. They cooked for about 8 hours and boy did they both turn out good.
Emily went riding with me today and she had her hair in a braid. I grabbed the camera this time and got it recorded. (I blogged about this a few posts ago.)
I might be ready to go back to bed now. I just yawned. No, wait a minute, I might just be bored with this post. And if I am, then you are too so I should just end it and put us all out of my misery.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
From Janell
Well, it’s been an exciting and busy weekend, so my visits to the Blogosphere were put off until today.
Retracing my events: yesterday afternoon Bubba and I went to Arlington and rode with our Saddle Club in the Washington County Fair Parade. I almost backed out because at home, when I was hitching up and moving the trailor, he started acting up. I had him tied to a fence post and he was rearing up and pulling on his rope and being an all-around BRAT about the whole deal, but I decided to just ignore it and went in anyway. I’m glad I did, because by the time we got to Arlington (about a 15 minute drive) he was settled down and reconciled to his fate. He was very well behaved throughout the whole event. And if you’ve ever been in a parade, you know that 70 % of the time, you are at the staging area, waiting to get started. Once you get in line and actually start going, you spend 25 % of the time at a stand still, waiting for the line to start moving again. The other 5 % of the time you are moving along, smiling and waving. Now, waiting patiently for anything has never been Bubba’s strong point. Standing still annoys him beyond his ability to deal with it. He ends up tossing his head up and down, pawing the ground and we usually end up walking in circles. On the trail, his second favorite thing to do is to walk along at a pretty fair pace, usually at the front of the line. His favorite thing to do is trot. Our place in line happened to be at about the middle of the line of 20 horses or so, walking in twos. Yesterday, he very politely stayed in line and didn’t even try to bump the horse in front of him. He even stood still without all his usual rudenss. In fact, he was so well behaved, that one of my friends, who was a little nervous about being in the parade with her inexperienced horse, said, “We’re going to ride beside you so your horse can be a good influence on mine.” That’s one of the nicest things anybody’s ever said to me.
The other fun thing about being in a parade it that as we go along, I can see people point at us and say, “Oh, that’s the prettiest one.” (They are, of course, referring to Bubba.)
Yesterday morning, my friend Renee and I sang a special musical number for our 8:00 church service. We sang the Selah version of “You Raise Me Up” with our church’s summer intern Music/Worship Leader, Josh. It was his last Sunday before heading back to college. He has been such a blessing to our church and to me personally. More about that some other time, maybe. His late grandma was one of the best friends I had at church and it still makes me sad to write or talk about her very much. Just need a little more time before I can tell that story without my heart breaking all over again.
Saturday afternoon, Jack, Randy & I cleaned ourselves up and went to the fairgrounds. We strolled through the exhibits, had some fair food (Gyros, egg rolls and a snow cone) for supper and then went to the Rodeo.
Now any musical presentation requires practice, so Saturday morning was devoted to singing practice with my gospel quartet and with Renee & Josh.
So, with all that going on, I spent Monday morning doing all the stuff, like mowing, laundry and blogging, that I usually do over the weekend.
Going back into last week, we were without a toilet for 4 days. It was ugly. And that’s about all you’ll be wanting to know about that.
So there you have it. Life in the Redneck Lane.
So how was your weekend?
Well, it’s been an exciting and busy weekend, so my visits to the Blogosphere were put off until today.
Retracing my events: yesterday afternoon Bubba and I went to Arlington and rode with our Saddle Club in the Washington County Fair Parade. I almost backed out because at home, when I was hitching up and moving the trailor, he started acting up. I had him tied to a fence post and he was rearing up and pulling on his rope and being an all-around BRAT about the whole deal, but I decided to just ignore it and went in anyway. I’m glad I did, because by the time we got to Arlington (about a 15 minute drive) he was settled down and reconciled to his fate. He was very well behaved throughout the whole event. And if you’ve ever been in a parade, you know that 70 % of the time, you are at the staging area, waiting to get started. Once you get in line and actually start going, you spend 25 % of the time at a stand still, waiting for the line to start moving again. The other 5 % of the time you are moving along, smiling and waving. Now, waiting patiently for anything has never been Bubba’s strong point. Standing still annoys him beyond his ability to deal with it. He ends up tossing his head up and down, pawing the ground and we usually end up walking in circles. On the trail, his second favorite thing to do is to walk along at a pretty fair pace, usually at the front of the line. His favorite thing to do is trot. Our place in line happened to be at about the middle of the line of 20 horses or so, walking in twos. Yesterday, he very politely stayed in line and didn’t even try to bump the horse in front of him. He even stood still without all his usual rudenss. In fact, he was so well behaved, that one of my friends, who was a little nervous about being in the parade with her inexperienced horse, said, “We’re going to ride beside you so your horse can be a good influence on mine.” That’s one of the nicest things anybody’s ever said to me.
The other fun thing about being in a parade it that as we go along, I can see people point at us and say, “Oh, that’s the prettiest one.” (They are, of course, referring to Bubba.)
Yesterday morning, my friend Renee and I sang a special musical number for our 8:00 church service. We sang the Selah version of “You Raise Me Up” with our church’s summer intern Music/Worship Leader, Josh. It was his last Sunday before heading back to college. He has been such a blessing to our church and to me personally. More about that some other time, maybe. His late grandma was one of the best friends I had at church and it still makes me sad to write or talk about her very much. Just need a little more time before I can tell that story without my heart breaking all over again.
Saturday afternoon, Jack, Randy & I cleaned ourselves up and went to the fairgrounds. We strolled through the exhibits, had some fair food (Gyros, egg rolls and a snow cone) for supper and then went to the Rodeo.
Now any musical presentation requires practice, so Saturday morning was devoted to singing practice with my gospel quartet and with Renee & Josh.
So, with all that going on, I spent Monday morning doing all the stuff, like mowing, laundry and blogging, that I usually do over the weekend.
Going back into last week, we were without a toilet for 4 days. It was ugly. And that’s about all you’ll be wanting to know about that.
So there you have it. Life in the Redneck Lane.
So how was your weekend?
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Janell's Ruby Tuesday Offering
My buddy Jim (link in the Friendly Blog list at left) suggested that we post pictures of red things on Tuesdays and call it "Ruby Tuesdays." I think that sounds like a fine idea, so here I am with my son Jack. As you can see he is looking handsome in his RED shirt. He has a new blog (link in the Family Blog list)
http://ernestntrue.blogspot.com.
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
My buddy Jim (link in the Friendly Blog list at left) suggested that we post pictures of red things on Tuesdays and call it "Ruby Tuesdays." I think that sounds like a fine idea, so here I am with my son Jack. As you can see he is looking handsome in his RED shirt. He has a new blog (link in the Family Blog list)
http://ernestntrue.blogspot.com.
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Here are my contributions to the Project Red & Green I read about over at Anna's blog via Paul's blog. I'd post a link to both of them here, but, even though Mary tried to teach me how to do that, I haven't figured it out. I think someone is going to have to come over to my house and walk me through the whole process. I do have a link to Paul's over on my sidebar.
Found this stuff in the produce department at the store where I work.
Found this stuff in the produce department at the store where I work.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Another annual Carson Picnic gathering is in the books for this year. We met for potluck at the Methodist Kitchen on the Burt COunty Fairgrounds in Oakland, NE. It's always good to see everyone and catch up on the extended family news.
After all the great food, those who remembered to bring swimsuits congregated at the city pool and enjoyed the waterslide. I liked these shots the best. The rest of my pictures are still in the camera and will get posted as soon as I use up the rest of the film. I'm still not using digital, but having seen LaDawn's camera, I am beginning to lean in that direction.
After all the great food, those who remembered to bring swimsuits congregated at the city pool and enjoyed the waterslide. I liked these shots the best. The rest of my pictures are still in the camera and will get posted as soon as I use up the rest of the film. I'm still not using digital, but having seen LaDawn's camera, I am beginning to lean in that direction.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
From Joe:
Just Catching Up...
2. Finished up the 3 weeks in Basingstoke. Had a blast. Had dinner and lunch with LaDawn and family (apparently I had more fun than she did). I even saw some protesters just outside of Parliament (see pic... he he).
3. Went to Sarasota for a weddig at the end of June
4. Enjoyed 4th of July, posted the star spangled banner. 4th of July weekend was my first weekend home this summer.
Hello everyone, I went on one of my disappearing trips. I've been reading but not posting... So I thought I'd do a quick catch up post.
1. I am working on Part II of "How I got my cushy Job". Almost done, will hopefully post soon.
2. Finished up the 3 weeks in Basingstoke. Had a blast. Had dinner and lunch with LaDawn and family (apparently I had more fun than she did). I even saw some protesters just outside of Parliament (see pic... he he).
3. Went to Sarasota for a weddig at the end of June
4. Enjoyed 4th of July, posted the star spangled banner. 4th of July weekend was my first weekend home this summer.
5. Went to visit Stonehenge and Hardrock Cafe London.
Thought I'd post a few pics from the trip. I know one of them you wlll get a kickout of!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Ya'll Come!
First Annual Carson's Great American Hot Dog Experience
Saturday July 26
1:00 PM
Hot Dogs / Buns
Chili
Condiment Bar: Assorted relishes, onions, cheeses, pickles, kraut, ketchup, mustards, etc….
Potato Salad OR casserole (haven’t made up my mind yet)
Slaw
Deviled Eggs?
Baked Beans
Peanut Butter Bars (Sue – better make a double batch)
Late Afternoon:
Mexican Marys
Chocolate Pound Cake
Home Made Ice Cream – Maybe
RSVP to Janell via email.
First Annual Carson's Great American Hot Dog Experience
Saturday July 26
1:00 PM
Hot Dogs / Buns
Chili
Condiment Bar: Assorted relishes, onions, cheeses, pickles, kraut, ketchup, mustards, etc….
Potato Salad OR casserole (haven’t made up my mind yet)
Slaw
Deviled Eggs?
Baked Beans
Peanut Butter Bars (Sue – better make a double batch)
Late Afternoon:
Mexican Marys
Chocolate Pound Cake
Home Made Ice Cream – Maybe
RSVP to Janell via email.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Janell’s Missed Kodak Moments
You know those times when you’ve seen something wonderful and you say, “Gee, I wish I had my camera,” ? Here are a couple of Kodak Moments that I missed because I didn’t have my camera with me. Both involve my daughter Emily, because yesterday was her 23rd birthday. I would have put this up yesterday, but I was busy taking her out to eat at Olive Garden and buying her birthday present at Borders.
Emily was my primary horseback riding partner through her teen years. She had a horse named Jasmine and I rode on Bubba. (Jasmine was his mother.) Since Jasmine was the Girl in Charge, they usually walked in front of us for the first 5 minutes or so of our ride. I remember watching them from behind and admiring the way Emily looked in the saddle and the way Jasmine’s tail would swish around. When she rode, Emily usually put her long hair in a single braid and it hung down the middle of her back. Sometimes she’d sing. One of the songs I remember that she liked was by Jamie Oneal and the chorus went;
“When I think about rain, I think about singing
When I think about singing it’s a Heavenly tune
When I think about heaven, I think about angels
When I think about angels, I think about you.”
She was singing that tune one winter day when we went for a ride in the snow. Oh, it was a beautiful picture: It was in the late Spring, the snow was fresh and clean and the sky was a pure cobalt blue. I was listening to her sing and wasn’t really paying attention to where we were going and all of a sudden, Bubba found himself up to his chest in snow. That was the day I learned how to stay on when he was leaping.
I remember a time in the late Fall we were galloping through the stubble of a bean field and her horse stumbled and went down to her knees on the front legs. Emily was thrown forward and I learned what “head over heels” looks like. She scrambled to her feet, got hold of her horse and the first words out of her mouth were, “Are you all right?” Whatta gal.
Most of the time our rides were peaceful and without incident. We tended to walk more than trot or gallop and that’s still the way I ride. We rode a path that followed a tiny creek that ran south from where we lived. We caught glimpses of a lot of wildlife on those rides: geese, ducks, foxes, coyotes, deer, pheasants. And, once in a while, we could hear a beaver splash into the water by a grove a trees at one point on the creek, but we never did see one. We could always track the progress of their work on a dam until one year in August, we got 11 inches of rain in about 2 hours and that was the end of the dam.
She doesn’t ride with me very often anymore and she wears her hair too short for a braid. I’ll always regret not taking the time to get a picture of that. I guess I’ll have to store it in my mind.
You know those times when you’ve seen something wonderful and you say, “Gee, I wish I had my camera,” ? Here are a couple of Kodak Moments that I missed because I didn’t have my camera with me. Both involve my daughter Emily, because yesterday was her 23rd birthday. I would have put this up yesterday, but I was busy taking her out to eat at Olive Garden and buying her birthday present at Borders.
Emily was my primary horseback riding partner through her teen years. She had a horse named Jasmine and I rode on Bubba. (Jasmine was his mother.) Since Jasmine was the Girl in Charge, they usually walked in front of us for the first 5 minutes or so of our ride. I remember watching them from behind and admiring the way Emily looked in the saddle and the way Jasmine’s tail would swish around. When she rode, Emily usually put her long hair in a single braid and it hung down the middle of her back. Sometimes she’d sing. One of the songs I remember that she liked was by Jamie Oneal and the chorus went;
“When I think about rain, I think about singing
When I think about singing it’s a Heavenly tune
When I think about heaven, I think about angels
When I think about angels, I think about you.”
She was singing that tune one winter day when we went for a ride in the snow. Oh, it was a beautiful picture: It was in the late Spring, the snow was fresh and clean and the sky was a pure cobalt blue. I was listening to her sing and wasn’t really paying attention to where we were going and all of a sudden, Bubba found himself up to his chest in snow. That was the day I learned how to stay on when he was leaping.
I remember a time in the late Fall we were galloping through the stubble of a bean field and her horse stumbled and went down to her knees on the front legs. Emily was thrown forward and I learned what “head over heels” looks like. She scrambled to her feet, got hold of her horse and the first words out of her mouth were, “Are you all right?” Whatta gal.
Most of the time our rides were peaceful and without incident. We tended to walk more than trot or gallop and that’s still the way I ride. We rode a path that followed a tiny creek that ran south from where we lived. We caught glimpses of a lot of wildlife on those rides: geese, ducks, foxes, coyotes, deer, pheasants. And, once in a while, we could hear a beaver splash into the water by a grove a trees at one point on the creek, but we never did see one. We could always track the progress of their work on a dam until one year in August, we got 11 inches of rain in about 2 hours and that was the end of the dam.
She doesn’t ride with me very often anymore and she wears her hair too short for a braid. I’ll always regret not taking the time to get a picture of that. I guess I’ll have to store it in my mind.
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